Warm and windy conditions prompt red flag warning ahead of cooldown

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DENVER -- Temperatures will climb into the 80s and winds will kick up across the Front Range on Monday, prompting the National Weather Service to issue a red flag warning for high fire danger.

The warning will be in effect from noon to 7 p.m., with windy and dry conditions creating an elevated fire danger. The warning will be in effect for the Denver metro area, the Palmer Divide and the eastern Plains.

Expect partly cloudy skies to start the day before it turns sunny and the winds ramp up. Mountain gusts could reach up to 80 mph with Front Range gusts getting to 40 mph by the afternoon. Highs will be in the low 80s.

Light mountain rain and snow are possible Monday with a few inches of accumulation above treeline. Highs will range from the 40s to the 60s.

A cold front will move in and drop highs into the 60s across the Front Range on Tuesday. A second storm arrives Wednesday night through Thursday, dropping temperatures into the 40s.

A rain/snow mix is possible with another round round of mountain snow likely.

If skies clear enough, the first frost of the season could happen in Denver on Friday morning.